Chamonix Snow Report: 29th March 2005

After our last visit to Grand Montets on Good Friday we were expecting it to be busy but it actually turned out to be rather quiet. The car park was full but not over-flowing when we arrived at around 1pm; however, up the mountain there were no queues anywhere. It was mild (mild enough for a first layer and a shell jacket only) and the cloud was beginning to pile in. As a result, the very top was obscured but the visibility down below was good and the sun was even shining from time to time. First of all we took a ride up the Bochard. Visibility at the top wasn't great but you could see just enough to get by. The first narrow section of the Bochard piste was full of people tentatively sideslipping. Apparently this scraping had been going on all day as several sizeable rocks were showing through. We turned skier's left and headed into Combe de la Pendant, down the Chamois run. This run had it all – mogully and icy at the top, quickly followed by varying degrees of slush, with some extensive exposed rocky areas down below. We took the tunnel out skier's right at the bottom of the bowl and headed down the black run, which was extremely bare and rocky in places, to join Coqs. This blue is also showing signs of serious wear and tear – the snow is beige where the earth underneath is beginning to show through and there are some loose stones and bare patches to avoid.

Next we tried La Herse. When we arrived at the top, it was misty and big clumped, hail-like snow “flakes” had started to fall – conditions that lead our mogul-loving friend, who is a veteran of Glenshee, to declare it to be “Just like Scotland!” The Combes run down is no great shakes, with stones and rocks poking through. We opted for the cat track that zig zags to the right of the piste, followed by a run through the moguls on the last section of Pylones. These are intimidating to say the least, in that they are large and very tightly packed thus making sweeping turns in between impossible.

We finished the afternoon with trips up the gondola until closing time, and down the Bochard red run, always with a detour through the bordercross. The visibility came and went up top, but we were treated to a short period of moderately heavy snow. Unlike on the other side off La Herse, here the snow fell as big fat flakes and it laid down a centimetre or two, which really made a difference to the snow surface (it started to feel almost silky in places). The Bochard run has some rocks, but not too many, and loose stones dotted about especially on the middle third, but it was definitely the best run of the day.

We'd heard bad reports of Pierre a Ric, so, in a fit of laziness, we took the Plan Joran chair down. As lift rides go this one is fun as it gives you a fabulous view of Argentiere. The forecast promises 10-20 cm tonight, followed by a similar amount tomorrow, so we're setting our alarms. We may even manage first lift for a change!

Useful Links
Cross-country skiing is Closed
Piste Maps for Chamonix (pdf format), Les Houches (jpg format), Cross-country skiing (pdf format), and Mountain-bike trails (pdf format)
Current status for opening of Pistes & Lifts
Chamonix Webcam Index

We will be keeping this Chamonix snow report updated often during the season, but if you want even more up-to-date news on the ski conditions, why not sign up for our Dump Alert? We'll email you each time it snows enough to significantly change the skiing conditions. It's great to know that the snow is falling in the run-up to your holiday, and it might even allow you to book a last-minute weekend when the snow is particularly good. The service is free, and you can unsubscribe whenever you like.

Additional snow and weather information provided, with thanks, by meteo.chamonix.com and the Tourist Office